German Greens in Coalition Government

The German Greens have succeeded in taking over governmental responsibility in the majority of the 16 German federal states. This is a great success for the party. However, in order to remain successful and to encourage general confidence in politics, a sober look at the factors which led to the success and which will continue to do so in the future is required.

In looking at the intersection of governance, coalition building and party politics the study examines, among others, the following questions: which ministries are the Greens in charge of and how does the leadership explain this selection? Which forms of coalition management do the Greens use? And which informal structures have the Greens built up in recent years to coordinate among the state level and to the federal level?

Based on 48 interviews with top politicians and senior staff the study offers a unique view into inner-party decisions and coalition management in Germany. It reveals how the German Greens have professionalized over the last years.

The German version of the publication originally published in 2016, can be downloaded here.